Business

San Francisco Airport First in the U.S. to Reach Deals With Uber, Lyft

Uber, Lyft and Sidecar drivers will now be legally allowed to pick up and drop off passengers at San Francisco International Airport, thanks to deals the airport just signed with the three companies.

The airport announced that it had entered into a permit agreement with Sidecar last week, and Uber and Lyft revealed similar deals on Monday. The authorization deals make the airport the first in the country to permit both Uber and Lyft.

“We are committed to be an industry leader, creating a roadmap for innovative business models like Lyft and UberX to operate legally in an airport,” airport director John L. Martin said in a press release.

In June, California regulators warned that paid rides to and from airports without proper permits amounted to trespassing and threatened to shut companies down if airport rides continued.

The San Francisco Business Times reported in July that SFO officials had made a dozen citizen's arrests of Uber and Lyft drivers operating at the airport illegally. Last April, SFO issued a cease-and-desist letter banning drivers from six companies from picking up or dropping off at the airport.

The companies have had similar legal troubles with airports across the United States, including Memphis, Los Angeles and Raleigh, where airport authorities have been cracking down on drivers without permits. Nashville International Airport became the first in the country to issue a permit to Lyft drivers last month, according to the company.

All three of the deals have been in the works for several months, the companies said. An airport spokesperson told Mashable that the start date will depend on when the permits are processed and the companies complete all of the necessary hurdles such as driver training and establishing a system for tracking rides — but it will be in the next 30 days.

Despite numerous legal battles between the city and ride share services in the past, San Francisco mayor Ed Lee said the city is at the "forefront of the sharing economy" and that these companies are creating jobs for city residents, according to an airport press release.

In a statement released on Uber's blog Monday, the company said it hopes that the new partnership will serve as a model for expanding service to other U.S. airports.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.